The Berlin zoo can no longer afford to house the big bear, who needs a larger compound to match his ever growing size and activity needs. So they're putting up a "Polar Bear Seeking New Home" sign. Where is Knut headed next?The Berlin zoo's bearkeeper has decided that Knut, at two years old, is needing more room to romp both in the water and in the sack. He needs a larger compound to get more exercise and mate, but that means a â‚¬9m investment in new construction that the strapped zoo just can't afford right now.

The zoo's senior bearkeeper, Heiner Kloes, agreed: "It's time for him to go - the sooner he gets a new home the better. Anything else would be financially irresponsible."

Yet again, human concerns about finances are making polar bears homeless. This is one of those situations where you can just imagine every child in Berlin under 11 in Berlin — and farther - pulling pennies from couch cushions to save their fuzzy buddy. It's actually amazing that the fame of the polar bear isn't earning him enough for the construction job.

But it is likely he'll find some other quality zoo that can afford him, and will likely earn them a pile of cash thanks to the excitement of a famous white bear moving in. Not without sadness from Berliners:

"Berlin is set to lose one of its best ambassadors," said Christian Taenzler, a tourism authority spokesman. "To the regret of international visitors it is about to lose one of its true icons."

So where might Knut go? Sweden's bear park, Orsa, is eyeballing him, and so is an animal refuge in Norway. But there is also the draw of a potential girlfriend at the Gelsenkirchen zoo.

All in all, he needs somewhere new. So we'll have to watch and see where the iconic bear will go next.